Apparatus for producing concrete pipe

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FORMING HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL BODIES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE AT A POURING STATION AND INCLUDING A BOTTOM PALLET, A PALLET SADDLE, AN OUTER JACKET, A CORE MOUNTED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN THE SPACED FORM SAID OUTER JACKET, MEANS IS FEED CONCRETE INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID CORE AND SAID JACKET, AND A TOP PALLET HOLDING HEADER. VIBRATORS ARE PROVIDED ON THE JACKET, CORE AND HEADER TO VIBRATE THE CONCRETE AS THE MOLD IS FILLED. ALL OF THE APPARATUS IS ABOVE GROUND WITH THE JACKET, CORE, AND HEADER BEING VERTICALLY MOVABLE IN SEQUENCE TO FORM A MOLD FOR MAKING THE REINFORCED CONCRETE PIPE. THE BOTTOM   ENDS OF THE JACKET AND CORE COOPERATE WITH SEALING MEANS INCORPORATED IN THE PALLET SADDLE TO SEAL THE BOTTOM OF THE MOLD LIQUID TIGHT.

June 5, 1971 c. R. JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CQNCRETE PIPE 15Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 7, 1969 June 15, 1971 R JOELSON 3,584,356

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE Filed Feb. 7, 1969 13 Sheets-Sheet2 FIG. 2

Ju 5, 197i c. R. JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE 1s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. '7, 1969 mm 5 m NS g $%A E h ov mm mm INVENTORCARL R. JOELSON mflwm&m

ATTORNEYS Jdn $1971 Q JQELSQN 3,584,356

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE Filed Feb. 7, 1959 1,3Sheets-Sheet 4 34 FIG. 5 f H ll Y! l MOTOR so l 60 INVENTOR CARL R.JOELSON June 15, 1971 Q JQELSQN 3,584,356

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE Filed Feb. 7, 1969 13 Sheets-Sheet5 86 INVENTOH CARL R4 JOELSON 53/ 1 $4M M)(9MM,%I 42% June 15, 1971 c.R. JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE l3 Sheets-Sheet 6 FiledFeb. 7, 1969 FIG. 8

INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSON ymaw,m&%4 ATTOR NEYS Ju 5, 1971 c. R. JOELSONAPPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE l3 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Feb. 7,1969 l2 INVENTOR FIG. 10 CARL-R.JOELSON m,aw,mwwg

ATTORNHY8 June 15, 1971 c. R. JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETEPIPE 13 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Feb. 7, 1969 INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSONATTORNEYS June 15, 1971 c. R. JOELSON 3,584,356

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE Filed Feb. 7, 1969 13 Sheets-Sheet9 PIC-3.12

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vvyvvvvlvvv June 15, 9 c. R. JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETEPIPE 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Feb. 7, 1969 FEG.13

INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSON ym 06 m MAJ/144% ATTORNEYS June 1971 c. R.JOELSON APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE l3 Sheets-Sheet 11 FiledFeb. 7, 1969 INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSON June 15, 1971 c. R. JOELSONAPPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE l3 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Feb. 7,1969 I INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSON dwza, 06m we? 72% ATTORNEYS June 15,1971 c JQELSQN 3,584,356

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONCRETE PIPE Filed Feb. 7, 1969 13 Sheets-Sheet1S INVENTOR CARL R. JOELSON FIG. 19

US. Cl. 25-30 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved apparatusfor forming hollow cylindrical bodies of reinforced concrete at apouring station and including a bottom pallet, a pallet saddle, an outerjacket, a core mounted concentrically within and spaced from said outerjacket, means to feed concrete into the space between said core and saidjacket, and a top pallet holding header. Vibrators are provided On thejacket, core and header to vibrate the concrete as the mold is filled.All of the apparatus is above ground with the jacket, core, and headerbeing vertically movable in sequence to form a mold for making thereinforced concrete pipe. The bottom ends of the jacket and corecooperate with sealing means incorporated in the pallet saddle to sealthe bottom of the mold liquid tight.

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for forming areinforced concrete pipe. The concrete pipe is manufactured in avertical position and it may be of any suitable shape, such as circular,elliptical, arch shaped, or any other noncircular shape that is noteconomically produced on conventional pipe making machinery. Theinvention particularly relates to a vibrating pipe manufacturing machinein which the inner and outer pipe forming members are removed from thenewly made pipe while the pipe is still in the machine in a verticalupright position, with the upward movement of the members beingdescribed as extracting, withdrawing, or stripping the members from thenewly formed and uncured pipe.

In vibration machines for the manufacture of concrete pipe, the pipesare formed by four basic parts: first, a bottom pallet that is placed inthe machine to form the bottom of the pipe giving it the shape of agroove or tongue. This bottom pallet stays with the pipe when it isremoved from the machine and aids in supporting the green or uncuredpipe. Second, an outer form, referred to as a jacket, that is positionedon the pallet to form the outside of the pipe. Third, an inner form,referred to as a core, that is positioned concentrically within thejacket to form the inside of the pipe. Fourth, after the concrete hasbeen poured into the mold, a top ring or pallet that is positioned ontop of the pipe to form a groove or a tongue. This top pallet alsousually stays with the pipe when it is removed from the machine.

In all vibrating machines the jacket, bottom pallet, and core form amold. Damp no-slump concrete mix is poured into the annular space formedbetween the jacket and core and is then compacted by vibration invarious ways. Under intense vibration the damp concrete mix turns into afluid mix as it is settled in the mold. After the vibrating mold isfilled to a predetermined height, and while the mix is still fluid, atop pallet or ring is placed in pressure contact with the cement mix inthe top of the mold and forms the upper groove or tongue of the pipe.

Other types of pipe machines have compacting of noslump concreteaccomplished by pressure, such as pounding or tamping in a tampingmachine, as described in patent 1,961,981 to Pechstadt and patent1,359,543 to Smith, and rolling or sliding pressure on packer head mited States atent machines so that the damp concrete mix never turnsfluid.

It is in the vibrating mold that the finer particles of the fluid mix,i.e., a mixture of water, cement, and fine sand, hereinafter calledcement slurry, will leak out of the smallest openings. A common andinherent weakness of all previous vibrating machines, such as thosedescribed in patents 3,119,165 and 3,273,216 to Gourlie, is the leakageof cement slurry at the junction of the jacket and the bottom palletand/or at the junction of the bottom pallet and core or both places. Instill other machines there is additional leakage at the vertical jointsof one piece and two piece jackets and one piece cores.

The loss of this cement slurry from the mold is serious since it bothweakens the pipe and detracts from its appearance. The cement slurry isalso a grinding compound and when it falls or splatters on the movingparts of the apparatus it causes unnecessary wear and substantialmaintenance problems. It also increases manufacturing costs by creatinga clean up and disposal problem for the Wasted cement slurry.

In those machines, such as the devices described in Patent 2,966,716 toPratt and Patents 3,047,929 and 3,334,- 390 to Steiro, that strip tocore or jacket, or both, downward from ground level or the machine levelinto a pit, the various kinds of rubber or elastic seals presently inuse are subject to the abrasive action of the sliding core or jacketthat is covered with a grinding compound in the form of a cement slurry.The resultant wear permits the cement slurry to leak out, in proportionto the amount of wear, and continues until the seal is adjusted orreplaced. Another serious disadvantage of stripping downward is the deepand expensive pit required to accom modate the descending core and/orjacket and necessary machinery. Also the leakage of cement slurry intothis deep pit results in a serious wear and clean-up problem.

In other types of machines, if the seal is tight enough to make the moldliquid tight, then the vibration is either greatly dampened withresulting inferior pipe or excessive vibration is required whichconsumes additional power and shortens the useful life of both the moldand machinery.

In still other types of machines the full weight of the jacket or coreor both rest on elastic sealing rings with similar undesirable resultingwear and leakage.

The following new methods and improvements in the steps above outlinedresult in a superior reinforced concrete pipe formed at lower cost. Theinventive method includes first lowering the jacket onto the bottompallet, inserting and locking up the top pallet to the top palletholding header, lowering the core through the top pallet and onto thebottom pallet to complete a liquid-tight mold with the top palletpositioned ready to form the top end of the pipe at the proper time. Theconcrete mix is poured into the mold on opposite sides of the core eliminating the need for rotating the mold while feeding the mix from a fixedpoint or using a rotating distributor on a non-rotating mold or someother equally complicated device. The jacket and core are vibratedsimultaneously while the concrete mix is poured into the mold andadditional vibration is applied to the top pallet holding header whileforming the top end of the pipe with the top pallet. The top pallet isreleased from the top pallet holding header which is then raisedslightly. The core and jacket are stripped upwardly and the top palletremains with the completed pipe ready to be removed from the machine.

A primary or fundamental solution of the invention to the leakageproblem is the manner in which the sealing of the junction of thejacket, bottom pallet, and core is accomplished. However, to beeffective and long lasting under the most adverse conditions, thefollowing requirements also have to be met: the centering and aligningof the non-circular pallet relative to the core must be accurate, arigid structure should provide a means of resiliently suspending andcontrolling the core and jacket perpendicularly and radially at acontrolled height relative to the bottom pallet and in near perfectalignment therewith, and practical means must be provided for vibratingthe core and jacket simultaneously so that the vibration does not haveto be transmitted from the jacket to the surface of the core (or insideof the pipe), or from the core to the surface of the jacket (or outsidethe pipe). This permits the intensity or severity of the vibration to becut by fifty percent or more between the bottom pallet and the sides ofthe mold.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide asubstantially automatic machine for manufacturing reinforced concretepipe by the following steps, some of which are common to theabove-mentioned prior art machines:

The jacket and core are moved vertically downward onto a bottom palletto form a liquid-tight mold, concrete mix is poured into the mold andvibrated, the top of the pipe is formed by a top pallet, and the coreand jacket are removed from the green pipe leaving the bottom and toppallets on the pipe so that it may be readily removed from the machine.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine whichwill readily and economically produce reinforced concrete pipe ofsubstantially any geometrical cross section with ready conversion fromone to another of these shapes.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a machinewhich obviates the need for any large pits or other subsurfacestructure.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machinehaving adequate sealing between the both in the machine and on the pipe.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a machinehaving adequate sealing between the bottom pallet, core, and jacket soas to prevent leakage of the concrete slurry during the vibration phase.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a machinefor producing reinforced concrete pipes which may be readily andeconomically produced.

The means for accomplishing the foregoing objects and other advantages,which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are set forth in thefollowing specification and claims, and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings dealing with a basic embodiment of the presentinvention. Reference is made now to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section through the core of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is partial longitudinal section showing the placement of the toppallet into position on the top pallet holding header;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of the lower end of the toppallet holding header, showing the method of clamping the top pallet tothe header;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the assembly shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section showing the assembled mold and completedpipe immediately before disassembly of the mold;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the concrete distributor means;

FIG. 12 is a front view, partly in section, schematically representingthe operation of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the device showing the pouring of concreteinto the mold;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the second crosshead of an alternateembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of an alternate top pallet positioningdevice;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged detail of the pulley arrangement of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a horizontal section taken along line 1717 of FIG. 16,

FIG. 18 is a vertical section of the lost motion device of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 19 shows a device for making a lift hole.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention generally comprises aframe 10, a bottom pallet saddle 11 having a bottom pallet 12 mountedthereon, a top pallet positioning device 13 and a top pallet 14, a wirereinforcement cage 15, a core 16, means 17 for moving the corevertically, jacket 18, first crosshead 19 movably mounted on the frameto vertically move the jacket, lower and upper vibrators 20 and 21,respectively, mounted on the jacket, second crosshead 22 supporting toppallet holding header 23 and fixed top crosshead 24. The frame 10comprises two vertical members 25 and 26 and inclined rear support legs27. The concrete distributing means 28, shown in FIG. 2, includes aframe 29 fixedly mounted on the rear support legs 27. A trough 30, whichhas two identical portions each of which contains a screw member andwhich will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11, is movablymounted on frame 29. A divided hopper 31 is positioned over the troughand receives noslump concrete 32 from a conveyor belt 33 or other meansand delivers it to the trough.

FIG. 3 is a section View taken along line 33 of FIG. 1 and shows thecrosshead 24 fixedly mounted on the vertical frame members 25 and 26.Centrally mounted in the header is a vertical member 34 extending upwardfrom the core 16. This member includes rectilinear flange means 35 and36 which ride against flanged positioning Wheels 37 to 40 to maintainthe alignment of the core as it is moved vertically by the fluidactuated piston cylinder assemblies 41 and 42.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the first crosshead 19 is provided with aremovable gate portion 43 hingedly mounted on the crosshead by hinge 44and secured in a closed position by bolts 45. When the gate is opened,it provides access to the jacket and core for their exchange,replacement, and/or maintenance. The jacket 18 is suspended from thefirst crosshead 19 by any convenient means, here shown as a three pointsuspension, noted here by flanges 46 to 48. Resilient pads 49 to 51 arepositioned between the crosshead and jacket flanges 46 to 48,respectively, at the points of suspension and permit movement in thehorizontal direction only. Clearly any number of points of suspensioncan be used with the number of points of suspension being dictated bythe shape of the mold. Also shown in this figure are the crossheadconnections 52 and 53 for the piston-cylinder assemblies 54 and 55,connected through holes in the second crosshead 22 to the fixedcrosshead 24 at points 142, which raise and lower the first crossheadand jacket during the operation of the machine. Cylindrical guides 56and 57, each of which is provided with a plurality of rollers, serve tomovably mount the crosshead on the vertical frame members 25 and 26. Itshould also be noted that while the figures show the longer axis of thepipe in alignment with the axis of the frame, the pipe can bemanufactured with its longer axis perpendicular to the frame axis, asshown in FIG. 14.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the upper vertical member 34 is bolted to anintermediate portion 58 which contains therein the core vibrating motor59. The intermediate portion is resiliently fastened to the core 16 bymeans of bolts 60 and ring gaskets 61. The bolts 60 loosely connect thecore 16 to the intermediate portion 58 to isolate vertical member 34from the vibration developed. A vibrator shaft 62 is connected to themotor by a flexible coupling 112 and depends into the core and isrotatably journaled in bearings 63 and 64. The bearings 63 and 64 arepositioned within the Core by plate assemblies 65 and 66, respectively.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the shaft 62 noting relatively smallmasses of metal 67 attached to one side of the shaft 62 adjacent thebearings 63 and 64 for effecting the vibration as the shaft is rotatedat high speed. Attention should be directed to the conically taperedbottom portion 68 of the core which will be described later inconnection with the sealing of the mold.

FIG. 7 shows the second crosshead 22 movably mounted on the frame 10 andmoved vertically by piston-cylinder assemblies 114 and 115. The toppallet holding header 23, including the pallet gripping means 69, isresiliently suspended from crosshead 22 by bolt and resilient padassemblies 82. The number of gripping means will be dictated by theshape and weight of the top pallet. Two gripping means have beenillustrated, one on each side of opening 70 in the crosshead. Thesemeans include a piston-cylinder assembly 71 having member 72 dependingtherefrom with the free end 73 thereof being resiliently biasedoutwardly and having at the end an inwardly directed flange 74. Members72 are slidably held and guided by U-shaped brackets 75 and 76 spacedvertically on the side wall of header 23. While one specific arrangementhas been shown, clearly other means for translating the verticalmovement of members 72 to a clamping movement may be employed.

The top pallet positioning means 13 comprises a pistoncylinder assembly77 for vertically moving a carrier 78 along a vertical H-beam 79,mounted parallel to frame member 26, to a position substantially equalto the bottom of the top header. Carrier 78 has an arm that extends atright angles to the H-beam and has a pistoncylinder assembly (not shown)at its outer end for raising the top pallet into position abutting thebottom of the header 23. The top pallet rests on a saddle attached to apiston rod 86 of the piston-cylinder assembly. Motor and speed reducer80 drives a transmission 81 that rotates vertical shaft 79 on which thecarrier 78 slides to position the top pallet immediately beneath thesecond crosshead where it is grasped by the pallet gripping means 69. Itwill be noted from FIG. 8 that as the top pallet is moved against thetop header, the members 72 will be drawn upwardly by the piston-cylinderassemblies 71 so that the free ends 73 are cammed inwardly by slot 83formed in the flange portion 84 of the bottom end of the header 23 untilthe inwardly directed flange 74 engages with a notch 85 formed in thetop pallet 14 to fix it in place. Flange 84 also extends inwardly to aidthe guiding of the core. FIG. 9 shows a member 72 holding the top palletin clamped position on the header.

FIG. 10 shows the apparatus just prior to stripping the mold from thepipe, namely, with the top and bottom pallets in place, thereinforcement in place in the poured and vibrated cement, the jacket andcore in the downward position, and the top header in the down position.The pipe P fills the mold formed between the jacket 18 and the core 16.Particular attention should be directed to the sealing means shown inthis figure. An annular sealing ring 87 is mounted on the lower palletsaddle 11 and engages with the inwardly tapered portion 68 of the core16. An inwardly directed flange 88 of the lower pallet 12 pressesdownwardly upon the annular sealing ring 87 when the outer jacket is inplace. The lower pallet is provided with several legs 89 which limit thedownward movement of the pallet against the annular sealing ring 87, andalso provide room for the forks or arms of an off bearing means to beinserted under the bottom edge of the pallet to remove the pipe from themachine. The jacket is provided on its lower end with an annular sealingring 90 and an annular flange 91 and annular conical flange 92 whichengage with and form an effective seal with the bottom flange 93 of thepallet 12.

At this point the particular configuration of the reinforcement cageshould be noted. The reinforcement cage comprises a plurality ofvertical rods 94 and a helical portion 95 the convolutions of which aresecured to the rods at the intersections thereof. The cage is preferablysubstantially centrally located in the pipe P from end to end. Of coursethe bottom portion of the cage can either be tapered outwardly or havean auxiliary cage of larger diameter affixed thereto in order to rest onthe bottom pallet. The vertical rods can be formed to aid in properlypositioning the cage initially.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the concrete distributing means 28 showing thetrough 30 in an extended condition for pouring concrete into the moldformed between the jacket and the core. The trough includes two parallelrecesses 96 and 97 each containing a feed screw member 98 and 99,respectively. Special attention should be directed to the screw memberssince each is provided with a plurality of pairs of blades 100, 180apart, which are uniformly spaced throughout the length of the screwexcept for the area 101 immediately beneath the hopper 31. The area 101has blades only one one side of the screw members so that, as each bladepasses through the concrete, the blade pulls down and pushes forwardsome of the concrete. If blades were used on both sides of the screwmembers, the blades moving upward would be acting to compact theconcrete preventing its fall, thus requiring a vibrator or other suchmeans in the hopper 31 to keep the concrete flowing into the trough 30.

The rear ends of the screws are supported by motors 102 and 103 whichdrive the screw members and are individually controlled so that thescrew members can be driven to rotate in opposite directions-eitherinwardly or outwardly. The forward ends of the screws are detachablysupported by bearing members 116 and 117 so that they can be removed forcleaning.

The piston-cylinder arrangement 104 is used for moving the trough 30inwardly and outwardly on the frame 29 on flanged wheels 105 to 108,moving on rails 109 and 110. The length of travel of the trough 30 islimited by the cushioned stroke of the piston-cylinder arrangement 104.It should also be noted that trough 30 has an arcuate recessed portion111 which provides clearance for the core shaft 34 and intermediateportion 58.

The method of the present invention will be described in relation toFIGS. 1, 2, l2, and 13. At the start of the cycle, the top palletholding header, the core, and the jacket are in the up position (FIG.1), the feed drawer is in the retracted position, and the feed hoppercontains no-slump concrete mix (FIG. 2), the top pallet has been placedon the top pallet feeder. The operator first places the bottom pallet onthe bottom pallet saddle. The elastic sealing ring 87 on the saddleholds the pallet legs slightly spaced off the floor (from one quarter toonehalf an inch). The reinforcement wire cage 15 is then positioned onthe pallet. The jacket 18 starts its downward motion and as itapproaches the bottom, the outward conical flange 92 on the bottom ofthe jacket guides and aligns the jacket with the bottom pallet on thesaddle. The elastic sealing ring 90 on the jacket makes a controlledsealing pressure contact with the bottom pallet in the down position. Atthis time the pallet legs 89 are substantially in contact with thefloor. The top pallet feeder, with the top pallet thereon, swingslaterally into the clear space between the top of the descended jacket18 and the bottom of the core 16 and the top pallet header 23, which arestill in the upper position as seen in FIG. 12. The pallet feeder stopsin a position so that the top pallet is in vertical alignment with thetop pallet holding header 23 and core 16. At this point the bottom ofthe core, where the taper 68 begins, is approximately two inches belowthe bottom of the top pallet holding header. As the top pallet on thepallet feeder rises by activation of the piston-cylinder assembly, theflared taper of the core guides the pallet into a near perfect alignmentwith the pallet holding header. Then the gripping jaws of the palletholding header clamp onto the top pallet and lock it in place. Thepallet feeder lowers to clear the bottom of the core and swingslaterally out of the way and is subsequently lowered to a position wherea new pallet can be placed thereon.

After the pallet feeder has cleared the core, the core is loweredthrough the pallet-holding header and top pallet to its bottom position.The conical sealing surface 68 slightly compresses the elastic seal 87of the bottom pallet saddle and forms a liquid-tight mold.

The concrete distributor extends so that the concrete can be fed toopposite sides of the mold. The recessed center 111 of the trough clearsthe core shaft and the feed screw members are preferably rotated inopposite directions to feed the concrete into the mold. The twin feedscrew members start to deliver the mix and when the mold isapproximately ten percent full, the core vibrator motor 59 is energizedas well as the bottom jacket vibrator 20. When the mold is approximatelyfifty percent full, the core vibrator continues, but the bottom jacketvibrator stops and the to jacket vibrator 21 starts. When the mold isfilled to the proper height, the feed screw members stop and the troughis retracted. The top pallet locked to the top pallet holding header ismoved downwardly onto the concrete mass to form the top tongue of thepipe. When it meets the mix in the mold the header vibrator 113 isenergized so that the mix is subjected to the vibration of threevibrators, namely, the upper jacket vibrator, the core vibrator, and theheader vibrator. When the tongue is formed, the top pallet holdingheader releases the top pallet and moves upwardly approximately a halfinch to take the pressure oif the pipe. The top pallet remains on thetop of the pipe until the pipe is cured and when it is manually removedalong with the bottom pallet.

After the top pallet holding header has released the top pallet, thevibrators are stopped and the core and jacket are stripped upwardly.Preferably the core is stripped upwardly first. The top pallet holdingheader maintains its new new position to prevent the top pallet fromleaving the newly completed pipe. After the core is extracted, thejacket starts its upward movement with the top pallet holding header inthe same position to keep the top pallet from rising. When the jacket isapproximately seventy-five percent stripped from the pipe, the toppallet holding header then also rises leaving the top pallet on thenewly made pipe. A fork lift then removes the newly made pipe from themachine and the cycle is ready to repeat.

FIG. 14 shows an alternate embodiment of the second crosshead, herenoted as 22a. This crosshead is quite similar to the previouslydescribed second crosshead so that only the different features will bedescribed. The core 16a is herein shown with the long axis perpendicularto the long axis of the apparatus. The pallet-holding head 23a is shownsuspended by a four point suspension comprising of resilient pad andbolt assemblies 118 to 121 secured to gusset plates 134 which are weldedin the bottom of the interior corners of a rectangular opening 136 incrosshead 22a with the vibrator 113a being disposed on the flangedportion 138 of the top pallet holding header adjacent the short axis ofthe opening.

Crosshead 22a is provided with holes 140a for the passage of cylinders54 and 55. The piston-cylinder assemblies 71a of the top pallet grippingmeans are also shown.

FIGS. 15 to 17 show an alternate embodiment of the top palletpositioning means. This embodiment constitutes a substantial reductionin the number of parts in that the motor 80, transmission 81 and thepiston-cylinder assembly 77 are replaced by a simpler means. In thisembodiment the carrier 78 has connected to its upper side one end of acable 122 which passes over a pulley 123 with the opposite end beingconnected to the first crosshead 19.

Pulley 123 is journalled in a bracket 130 attached to a fixed crosshead24. Thus as the first crosshead 19 is lowered to properly position thejacket 18, the top pallet carrier 78 will be raised to substantially thelevel of the bottom of the top pallet holding header, as previouslydescribed.

When the pallet carrier has reached the proper elevation, thepiston-cylinder assembly 124, which is connected between a lever arm 125on the H-beam 79 and the fixed crosshead 24, will be actuated to rotatethe H beam and top pallet carrier in the manner previously described toproperly position the top pallet 14.

FIG. 16 shows a plate 126 which is an integral part of bracket 130having a tubular member 127 which is welded to the web 132 of H-beam 79extending through a bearing sleeve 129 welded to plate 126 and throughwhich the cable 122 passes to be connected to the top pallet carrier 78.An orifice 128 is also provided in the plate 126 for passing the cableto be connected to the first crosshead 19. The H-beam 77 is pivotallymounted in bearings 129. In FIG. 17, the rotated position of arm 78 isshown in phantom lines.

FIG. 18 shows an enlarged vertical section of the lost motion deviceshown in FIG. 15. This device comprises a tube 161 vertically mounted onthe carrier 78 and having a lost motion rod 162 slidably mounted thereinfor movement between bushing 163 and the bottom 164 of tube 161. Theupper end of the rod 162 is formed with an eye 165 for attachment of thecable 122. Of course any other suitable lost motion means could besubstituted for the embodiment shown.

FIG. 19 shows a device for making a lift hole in the pipe P andcomprises a flanged orifice 171 formed on the jacket 18 in substantialalignment with the short axis of the pipe and substantially midway alongthe length thereof. A piston-cylinder assembly 172 is adjustably mountedon the first crosshead 19 to allow adjustment for various sizes of pipe.A ram 173 is operatively connected to the piston-cylinder assembly 172for limited movement through the flanged orifice 171 to form a lifthole, the inner end 174 of which is closed, in the pipe P. This ram ispreferably actuated after pouring of the concrete is completed andduring final vibration of the mold. After the pipe has cured, and if itis desired to use the lift hole, all that is necessary is to knock outthe inner end 174 of the hole.

As another alternative, the top pallet could be placed on the wire cage,the cage placed on the bottom pallet, the jacket and core lowered, thecore preceding the jacket, until they are properly downwardlypositioned, and then the top header lowered to contact and remove thetop pallet and raise it to an upward position so that the concretedistributor might extend and commence feeding of the concrete to themold.

It should be noted that the present invention may be used with anysuitable off-loading type machine such as a fork-lifting truck or othermeans having fork or arm members which may be positioned under andengaged with the outer flange portion of the bottom pallet 12.

It is a desirable alternative to have the concrete contacting surfacesof the pallets coated with Teflon or a similar substance so that theymight be readily removed from the cured concrete pipe.

Specific examples of sizes of elliptical pipes of the type shown andproduced by the present apparatus are six to eight foot lengths withcross sections of 14 x 23" having a 2%" thick wall; 19" x 30 having a3%" thick wall; and 24" x 38" having a 3% thick wall.

As yet another alternate embodiment, the bottom pallet saddle can beformed on a carousel so that as one pipe is being formed, a secondsaddle can be loaded with a bottom pallet and reinforcement cage whileyet another saddle can be off-loaded by any suitable means such as afork lift truck. Thus the production time will be enhanced.

It is also contemplated, within the scope of this invention, to providedan automatic means for positioning the bottom pallet on the saddle. Forexample, an arm means could be rotatably mounted on frame member andhave on the free end thereof a means for holding the bottom pallet 12until the arm is positioned to place the bottom pallet on the saddle 11at which time the pallet will be released.

The concrete used in the subject invention is preferably a mixture ofno-slump concrete which is of a comparatively dry consistency. Asuitable no-slump concrete mixture would be 1100 lbs. sand, 950 lbs.stone, 450 lbs. cement and approximately 7-8 gallons of water, dependingupon the moisture content of the other materials.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentinvention is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changeswhich come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims aretherefore to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming reinforced concrete pipe in which all of thecomponents of said apparatus are above ground level comprising a framehaving at least two main vertical spaced parallel structural members,first and second movable crossheads mounted on said vertical members forvertical movement thereon, a fixed crosshead at the upper end of saidvertical members, a pallet saddle located on ground level substantiallycentrally between said vertical members, a bottom pallet on said saddle,a jacket depending from said first crosshead, a core movably mounteddepending from said fixed crosshead and a top pallet holding headerresiliently fastened to said second movable crosshead, said core,jacket, and top pallet holding header being in near perfect alignmentwith each other at all times and the pallet holding saddle, said core,jacket and bottom pallet forming a sealed mold, first pistoncylindermeans for vertically moving said first crosshead to a position whereinthe bottom of said jacket sealingly contacts said bottom pallet and saidpallet holding saddle, second piston-cylinder means for moving saidsecond crosshead vertically, third piston-cylinder means for verticallymoving said core to a position sealingly contacting said bottom pallet,means for feeding concrete mix to the sealed mold formed by said core,jacket and bottom pallet, means to vibrate said mold, means to positiona top pallet on said mold to form the top end of said pipe, said pistoncylinder means stripping said core and jacket upwardly from saidfinished pipe with said header restraining upward movement of said toppallet.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said jacket has at thebottom end thereof an outwardly extending conically shaped annularflange for engaging with and aligning said jacket with said bottompallet, resilient annular sealing means adjacent the inner side of saidflange to sealingly engage with said bottom pallet, vibrator meansmounted on said jacket, said jacket being resiliently mounted on saidfirst crosshead for horizontal movement only.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said vibrator meanscomprises at least one vibration mounted on the top of said jacket andat least one vibrator mounted on the bottom of said jacket.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first crossheadfurther comprises a removable side portion to allow access to saidjacket.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said core comprises anonrotatable shaft depending from said fixed header, said core attachedto said shaft and having an upper portion shaped in the form of atruncated cone and acting to guide the descending pallet locked onto thepallet holding header, the bottom of said core likewise having atruncated conical shape serving to sealingly engage said bottom palletto form a mold with said jacket, and bottom pallet and vibrating meansmounted within said core.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising an intermediateportion fixedly connected to said nonrotatable shaft and resilientlyconnected to said core, said vibrating means comprising motor meansmounted in said intermediate portion, a vibrating shaft depending intosaid core, resilient coupling means coupling said shaft to said motor,bearing means supporting said shaft within said core, and weight meansfixedly attached to said shaft for causing vibration when said shaft isrotated at high speed.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which said top pallet holdingheader comprises an annular member resiliently suspended from saidsecond crosshead and having at least two top pallet holding meansthereon, said top pallet holding means each comprising fluid actuatedpiston-cylinder arrangement with gripping members depending the lengthof said top pallet holding header, the free ends of said grippingmembers having for engaging with and securing said pallet to said palletholding header.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising vibrating meansmounted on said top pallet holding header.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the free ends of saidgripping members are spring biased outwardly from the end of saidheader, said means for engaging comprising inwardly directed flanges onthe free ends of said gripping members, means attached to the end ofsaid header for biasing said gripping members inwardly so that saidflange members engage with said top pallet.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7 in which said engaging meanscomprises lever arms pivotally mounted on the end of said header andoperatively connected to said gripping members to be actuated thereby togrip said top pallet.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and secondcrossheads further comprise means for movably engaging with and guidingalong said vertical columns, said first, second, and thirdpiston-cylinder means being connected to said fixed crosshead forvertically moving said first and second crossheads and said core withrespect to the ground, at least one longitudinal portion of said firstcrosshead being removable to allow replacement of and access to thejacket and core of said device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means forpositioning a top pallet on said top pallet holding header, said meanscomprising rotatable frame means parallel to one of said verticalstructural members, a top pallet carrier vertically movable on saidframe means, means to elevate said top pallet carrier to a positionimmediately beneath the level of said top pallet holding header, meansto rotate said frame means to position a top pallet on said top palletcarrier in alignment with said header, and means to place said toppallet into contact with said header.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, in which said means to move thetop pallet carrier automatically synchronizes the movement of said firstcrosshead and said carrier and comprises cable means attached saidcarrier and to said first crosshead via pulley means suspended from saidfixed crosshead whereby downward movement of said first crosshead willcause the raising of said carrier, piston-cylinder means connectedbetween said rotatable frame means and said fixed crosshead to rotatesaid carrier to position said top pallet beneath said header.

The apparatus according to claim 13 further comprising lost motion meansconnecting said cable to said carrier whereby the first crosshead willmove a predetermined distance downwards before said carrier begins tomove upwards.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said means to move saidtop pallet carrier comprises a piston- 1 1 cylinder assembly attached tosaid frame means for moving said carrier vertically, motor means havingtransmission means attached thereto and operatively connected to rotatesaid frame means to position said top pallet beneath said carrier.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said concrete feedingmeans comprises hopper means supported on said frame, a feed drawerdisposed beneath said hopper and movable to a position wherein one endextends over the mold formed by said core, jacket and bottom pallet,means for moving said drawer with respect to said mold, two feed screwmembers mounted in said drawer, means to drive said screw members todispense a measured amount of concrete from said feed drawer intoopposite sides of said mold.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein each said screw membercomprises a shaft having a plurality of pairs of blades mounted 180apart and spaced along a first portion of said shaft, the remainder ofsaid shaft having blades on one side only, said remainder beingpositioned beneath said hopper whereby the rotating blades will pull outand push forward the concrete flowing from the hopper.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means to forma lift hole in said pipe, said means comprising a flanged orifice formedin said jacket substantially in alignment with the short axis andsubstantially midway along the length thereof, ram means mounted to passthrough said flanged orifice for a limited distance into said pipe, andpiston-cylinder assembly adjustably mounted on said first crosshead andoperatively connected to actuate said rarn whereby a lift hole, closedat its inner end by a thin wall of concrete, will be formed in the pipe.

12 19. The apparatus according to claim 1 in which said mold is sealedby a first annular seal on said saddle, said core and said bottom palletengaging said first annular seal in a liquid tight manner, secondannular seal on the lower end of said jacket, said second seal engagingwith said bottom pallet in a liquid tight manner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,859 6/1922 Zwicker 25-301,502,509 7/ 1924 MacTarnaghan 25-37 1,977,257 10/ 1934 Williams 25-302,091,385 8/1937 Trickey 25-30 2,870,513 1/1959 Gagne 25-30 3,119,1651/1964 Gourlie 25-30 3,201,843 8/1965 Osweiller 25-30 3,273,216 9/ 1966Gourlie 25-30 3,293,717 12/1966 Helms 25-30 3,323,188 6/1967 Abbott25-30 3,343,236 9/ 1967 Helms 25-30 3,383,742 5/1968 Nelson 25-303,461,516 8/ 1969 Boucher 25-30 FOREIGN PATENTS 646,074 8/ 1962 Canada.

CHARLES W. LANTHAM, Primary Examiner J. E. ROETHEL, Assistant ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R.

UNITED Silk/i355 PA'IIIIIJ'I OFFICE) Cfilrt'llivitnl.n Oi} QUi-LIULQLIUAPatent Nb. 3,584,356 Dated June 19. 1971 Invcntor(s) Carl R. Joelson Itis certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent. are hereby corrected as shown below:

In Fig.

Column Column Column Column Column Column Column Column Column Signedand .(SEAL) Attest:

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"113" should read 113a "strip to'core" should read strip the core "onlyone one" should read only on one "new. new position" should read newposition "vibration" should read vibrator after after after after after"comprising" insert a manner, insert and a sealed this 25th day of A il@972.

EDWARD M.FLETChER, JR. Attesting Officer ROBERT GOTTSCHMJK Commissionerof Patents

